I had started thinking you were pregnant, Blade (you fooled me with the XX in your signature), but non-pregnant women are fine on this forum IMO as long as they stay on pregnancy topics, which hasn't been a problem yet.
Also I realize that after my criticism, people could have come to the reasonable conclusion that I'm against hospital birth or even hospitals (I was extremely tired and cranky when I wrote that and I thought I had cooled off enough to be civil but apparently not). Though I am more naturally minded, I do believe there is definitely a need for hospitals.
I am surprised that my documentary selection caused this much controversy. It shows doctors that truly care about their patients and even a home birth gone "bad", so I don't see why it's anti-hospital/doctor. Now I will agree that it has parts that need you to use your own discernment. A random woman, I believe, does say something to the form of how OBs should just be surgeons and all they want to do is cut people open. Now that's ridiculous. Perhaps there are a few out there that are "knife happy", but that's by no means the majority. Of all the OBs I've met or heard about, I've only known of two that were disturbingly flippant about c-sections and loved to push for them. They were so blase about c-sections that the other OBs would admonish them for their attitude. There will always be duds in any profession, but that doesn't mean you should disvalue the profession. It only means that you need to thoroughly search for the best available.
Of course while watching the Business of Being Born and the following four mini information episodes, you will have to use your own judgement, but as the saying goes don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

On to related but other pregnancy news. In my area there aren't any hospitals with birthing capabilities, which is new for me since I was originally from a more populated location. Usually I would only think about home birth if there was a hospital within 5-10min (preferable 5min or under), but now I have to consider whether I want a midwife at home or the possibility of giving birth in the car all by myself on the way to the hospital (with Eldon coming so fast that is a very real concern). My husband and I are driving to the nearest birthing hospital tomorrow, which has it's own birth center and midwives!

Mama of two beautiful boys!

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
~Psalm 127:4-5a

Thank you much, gigi, anajo, and kitty. And thanks, blade, for the - as usual - enlightening and fascinating info. My friend, like I mentioned, was upset for a few days after the birth. She was quickly "reassured" by the doula and midwife and even to this day praises the "experience" of natural home birth. I would rather have a healthy baby than any particular experience, but blessedly she does have a healthy one. Little Eunitas is a year old last month. So the story has a very happy ending.

A few days after I posted on this thread I happened to see a hilarious video of comedian Patton Oswalt discussing pioneer women giving birth, dreaming of clean hospitals filled with needles containing magical medicines that take the pain away. I posted it on FB, where even my home birth aficionado and crunchy attachment parenting friends thought it was pretty funny. :-)

No matter where you come down on the issues I think we all have to acknowledge its a luxurious decision to get to make. Very much a "first world problem." :-)

I also wanted to add a word of congratulations to all the newly expecting ladies. I am hopeful that I'll be able to join your ranks in the coming months. Here's to happy, healthy pregnancies and babies for all of you!

Thanks @gigi and @missUSH. You are quite right, I am not pregnant, though am secretly part of the TTC crowd. I do wonder whether or not I'm butting in sometimes so it's nice to hear that my perspective is somewhat interesting (though if is crosses the line, please let me know).

@missUSH, you are entirely right about footling breech. It's by far the most dangerous presentation because the feet and lower body of a baby are so much smaller, in diameter, than the head and shoulders. Since the umbilical cord-- the baby' lifeline-- enters the baby's body at the level of the umbilicus (obviously), when the legs and lower body slip out the cord slips out too. It is then compressed, smashed against the vaginal wall and the pelvic outlet, by the baby's upper body and/or head. The baby is therefore partially or completely deprived of oxygen. Those little legs and lower body can exit the cervix before it's anywhere close to 10cm dilated, so it can be a loooong time before the entire baby is delivered, and all the while the umbilical cord is compressed. This condition is called head entrapment and it is truly life-threatening, an obstetric emergency. In many case series the *mortality* (not brain damage, not cerebral palsy, but mortality) of footling breech babies is 30%. (The figure usually quoted by OBs is 20-25%-- NOT in a hospital, these are 'natural' case series largely from the third world and homebirth statistics, as scanty as those are). At home or in a birthing center there are absolutely no interventions available to save these babies.

Frank breech-- where the baby's butt is the presenting part, with the legs straight up next to the head-- is the safest since the diameter of the hindquarters is roughly that of the head, and since the legs somewhat protect the umbilical cord. However, once the baby is delivered to the level of the umbilicus it is is the attendant's job to immediately assist the delivery-- basically, pull on the baby in conjunction with maternal pushing-- to minimized the amount of time the cord is compressed by the head/upper body.

Even frank breech, safe though it is, is associated with a 2-4x increase in perinatal mortality when delivered vaginally, in the US, in hospitals, due to the cord compression. That's why many obstetricians have a blanket no-vaginal breech policy, and only perform c-sections.

I know a couple whose newborn son died because of having his cord compressed. I didn't press for in depth details (because omg, who has the heart to talk about it at the time?) so I wouldn't have known what the medical term for it was. Poor little guy struggled and held on for 9 or 10 days afterwards but his poor little body couldn't sustain itself. It was truly heartbreaking. It was their first child, and as sad as it was they are now happily expecting a little girl in April, although because of the previous experience they have a c-section scheduled.

Not so done having children after all. We're not ready for TTC quite yet but when we do get pregnant,the husband handed sole naming rights over to his name obsessed wife!

Thank you much, gigi, anajo, and kitty. And thanks, blade, for the - as usual - enlightening and fascinating info. My friend, like I mentioned, was upset for a few days after the birth. She was quickly "reassured" by the doula and midwife and even to this day praises the "experience" of natural home birth. I would rather have a healthy baby than any particular experience, but blessedly she does have a healthy one. Little Eunitas is a year old last month. So the story has a very happy ending.

A few days after I posted on this thread I happened to see a hilarious video of comedian Patton Oswalt discussing pioneer women giving birth, dreaming of clean hospitals filled with needles containing magical medicines that take the pain away. I posted it on FB, where even my home birth aficionado and crunchy attachment parenting friends thought it was pretty funny. :-)

No matter where you come down on the issues I think we all have to acknowledge its a luxurious decision to get to make. Very much a "first world problem." :-)

When I was pregnant, I pushed for an elective c-section for many reasons. But my town/community is very "crunchy" and I had to fight to the bitter end to get one, which ultimately turned into a horrible birthing experience. They absolutely would not give me an elective c-section, it was against the hospitals policy, so I had to be induced and after 23 hours of pain, not dilating, cervical balloon, Epidural not being placed right, I underwent a c-section anyway (which was a traumatic experience by itself, the epidural not working and all) And after all of that, I ask myself, if they had just listened to me and gave me what I wanted from the beginning it would have most likely prevented all that hell I went through. I feel the same with mothers wanting a natural birth, doctors need to listen to their patients more and be more understanding. I am aware some women take natural birth way too seriously, and are so stubborn that sometimes they harm themselves or their baby by insisting on natural birth.

About the Business of Being Born, I was constantly harassed by that movie when I was pregnant. My mom and all her friends were constantly criticizing me about wanting a c-section and their last resort argument was always "Just watch this documentary, it will change your mind" but I had already seen it and it actually made me want a c-section more. I got so frustrated I kinda snapped on someone when they mentioned it for the thousandth time. I grew up in that kind of environment, that InaMae Gaskins lady? She is like all my mom's friends. Imagine that. *shudder*